The skyline of Reykjavik is against the backdrop of orange coloured sky due to molten lava flowing out from a fissure on the Reykjanes peninsula north of the evacuated town of Grindavik, western Iceland on March 16, 2024. (PHOTO / AFP)
HELSINKI - A volcanic eruption started between Hagafell and Stora Skogfell on the Reykjanes Peninsula, a region in southwest Iceland, on Saturday at 20:23 local time (2023 GMT) after short-term seismic activity, according to the Icelandic National Broadcaster RUV.
Just before the eruption, the Icelandic Meteorological Office issued an announcement on increased seismic activity in the area, together with land changes.
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According to the Icelandic news website Iceland Monitor, the eruption is in a similar location to the last two eruptions, which occurred in February 2024 and December 2023. The evacuation of Grindavik, the town located on the southern coast of the Reykjanes Peninsula, has already been underway.
Spectators watch plumes of smoke from volcanic activity between Hagafell and Stóri-Skógfell, Iceland, March 16, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)
This handout picture released by the Icelandic Coast Guard on March 16, 2024 shows billowing smoke and flowing lava pouring out of a new fissure, during a surveilance flight above a new volcanic eruption on the outskirts of the evacuated town of Grindavik, western Iceland. (HANDOUT / ICELANDIC COAST GUARD / AFP)
This handout picture released by the Icelandic Coast Guard on March 16, 2024 shows billowing smoke and flowing lava pouring out of a new fissure, during a surveilance flight above a new volcanic eruption on the outskirts of the evacuated town of Grindavik, western Iceland. (HANDOUT / ICELANDIC COAST GUARD / AFP)
An emergency vehicle is stationed on a road leading to volcanic activity between Hagafell and Stóri-Skógfell, Iceland, March 16, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)
This handout picture released by the Icelandic Coast Guard on March 16, 2024 shows billowing smoke and flowing lava pouring out of a new fissure, during a surveilance flight above a new volcanic eruption on the outskirts of the evacuated town of Grindavik, western Iceland. (HANDOUT / ICELANDIC COAST GUARD / AFP)
Plumes of smoke rise from volcanic activity between Hagafell and Stóri-Skógfell, Iceland, on March 16, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)
People on the outskirts of Reykjavik take pictures and selfies with the orange coloured sky as molten lava flows out from a fissure on the Reykjanes peninsula north of the evacuated town of Grindavik, western Iceland on March 16, 2024. (PHOTO / AFP)
